Improvement iw stop-cock boxes



G. P. BOWERS. STOP-coax BOXES.

No. 193,686. l Patented July 31,187?.

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lGEORGE P. BOWERS, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPRVEMENT IN STOP-COCKBOXES.

, Speciiicationforming-part of LettersPatentNo'. 93,686, dated July 31, 1877 application tiled June 12, 1877. l

To all whom 'tma'y concern Be it known that I, GEORGE P. BowEns, of- Boston,in the county of Suo'lk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gate-Pipes, to facilitate the working 'of underground cocksthat the water or gas may be cutoff from the building without the expense and trouble ofdigging'down to the cock or vgate 5 and it has been customary to use for the purpose a wooden tube or a plain iron pipe, cut to thel proper length, and provided with a cap ou a levelwith .the sidewalk or street. This answered a very good purpose when once fitted, until it was the sidewalk or street, when the earthy had vto be dug away, and-the pipe taken upand cutA off to ashorterlength', if the grade was'to be lowered, or a newpipe of greater length putv in its place if the grade-was to be raised..

This 1s a serlous objection and a source of much expense v'in -cities and towns where' changes in thel grade of the streets are constantly occurring, and the object of my in vention is to overcome this objection; and it consists, first, in the use, for such purpose, of a pipe made in two pieces, tted one within the-other, andl adapted rto be adjusted at will, so as to vary the length of' the whole pipe, so that its upper end may be brought tothe level of the grade of the-streetfor sidewalk, the inner or smaller section of the telescopic pipe being provided with one or more series of rack-like teeth, in combination with one or more inwardly-projecting lugs or lips formed in the inner periphery of the upper end of the outer or larger section of the pipe, or a head or annular cap secured thereto, with which the teeth upon the exterior of the inner desired to change the lgrade ofl two ormore small lugsprojecting from ther periphery of they smaller pipe, near its lower v end, at points on its circumferencebetween the sets of rack-teeth, and projecting lfrom said pipe the same distance asthe said rack-teeth,

to serve as bearing-pointsy against the inner periphery of the larger pipe, andI thus aid in holding thelupper or adjustable pipe in a perpendicular position, or in line with the lower I or stationary pipe.

My invention furtherl consists in a peculiar formation of the capof the upper tube and the annular head of theflowertube, whereby they. may be cast without the employment of cores, as will be described.

Figure lis a side elevation of my'improved Fig. 2 is-a central verticalsection on line x a: on Fig. l. Fig. 3 isa plan.-

gate-pipe.

4 is an elevation'of the outer and'lower pipe. Fig. 5 is a plan, and Fig. 6 is anv inverted plan, of the same. Fig-7 is an elevation of the inner or adjustable pipe as-viewed from a point at right angles to zFig. 1. Fig-8 is a plan, and Fig. 9 an-inverted-plan,-of the same.- Figs. 10 and l1 are, respectively, a plan and an invertedplan, of the annularhead or cap of theouter pipe, and Fig. 12 is an inverted plan of thevcap of the innerv or adjustablepipe, and

Fig. 13 shows the mannerl of applying my gate-pipe lto a shut-off cock.

' A is the outer or stationary pipe, provided withv the slot a. across its lower end; andtwo wedge-shaped lips, b b, partially surrounding l its upper end, said lips being .separated from each other by the notches c c, as shownin Figs. 4 and 5.. B yis the innerfor adjustable# pipe, provided with two rows of shallow rack-v like teeth, d d, arranged upon oppositel sides ofsaid pipe, and extending nearlythefwhole length-r ofthe pipe, andfwith two small lugs,-

e, atV its lower end, 4and projecting therefrom at points eqnidistant between the two rows of teeth, and the same distance as said teeth.

The upper end of said pipe Bis also provided with two projecting lips, ff, extending partially around said pipe, but separated from each other by the notches g g, and having their under sides tapered or beveled to form,

- eral outline of which is circular in form,

a sort of a wedge, similar to the lips b b on the pipe A.

C is a cover for the pipe B, provided with a downwardly-projecting annular ring, h, from the lower edge of which projects inwardly the two lugs or'short lips fi i, so formed and proportioned that they will drop over the pipe B in the notches g g, while the ring h surrounds the outer edges of the lips f f, when, by partially rotating the cap C the lugs i z' are carried under the lips f f, and along their inclined under surface till the cap is drawn down hard upon the end of the pipe. Directly over the lips i t', in the upper corners ofthe cap G, are formed the two recesses j j, for the purpose of facilitating the casting of the cap without the employment of a core.

D is an annular cap for the pipe A, provided with the downwardly-projecting ring k,lugs l Z, and recesses m m, all constructed and designed to operate in connection with the lips b b and notches c c in precisely the same manner as abovelescribed in connection with the cap C. In the center of the top plate of the cap D is formed an opening, E, the genand having the two enlargements a n for the passage of the teeth d d, and two smaller enlargements or slots, o o, cut in the inner edge of the upper plate of the capwD for the passage of the lugs e e in inserting or withdrawing the pipe B from the pipe A.

' rllhe operation of my device is as follows:

rlhe pipe A is cast complete in the form shown in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, and the cap D is applied thereto, as described, in connection with the cap G and pipe B, and pinned or otherwise secured from becoming loosened by adjusting the pipe B. The pipe A is then placed in a perpendicular position directly over the shut-off cock or gate F, (shown in dotted lines in Fig. 13,) and may be secured to the pipe G (also shown in dotted lines in Fig. 13) in any suitable manner, and the earth is filled in around it, so as to hold it in a perpendicular position. The pipe B is then dropped endwise into the pipe A by passing the two rows of teeth d d through the enlargements n n of the opening E in the top plate of the annular cap D, and the lugs e e through the slots o o till the top of the pipe B is brought to the proper level, when the pipe B is rotated about its axis till the inner edge of the plate of the cap D passes between two of the teeth d d, and is then secured against accidental rotation by wedges driven into the enlargements n n. The cock or gate F is operated by means of a long-shanked socketwrench inserted through the pipe in the usual justed by means of manner. rlhe upper end of the pipe B is closed by dropping the cap C over its end, the lugs i fi passing through the notches g g, and then partially rotating the cap till the lips i i. are brought in close contact with the inclined under side of the lips ff.

When it becomes necessary to change the grade of the street it is only necessary to remove the earth around the portion of the pipe B which projects above the cap D, and partially rotate the pipe B till the teeth d d will pass through the enlargements n n, when the pipe B may be raised ordepressed till its top end coincides with the new grade, when the pipe is again partially rotated till the inner edge of the cap D engages again with two of the teeth d d, as before described.

It is obvious that the pipe B might be ada screw by substituting for the teeth d a male screw-thread on the exterior of the pipe B, and forming a female screw-thread or nut in the head D or in the upper end of the pipe A, but I prefer the method of adjustment heretofore described as being cheaper, more easily operated, and less liable to become inoperative by reason of corrosion of the metal.

' What I claim as new, and desire to secure by`Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. The pipe B, provided with one or more sets of teeth, d, in combination with the pipe A, provided with the central opening E and enlargements u a thereof in its upper en d, or in a capsecured thereto, all arranged and adapted to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. In combination with the pipeA, provided with the central opening E and enlargements n u, and slots o o formed in its upper end or in a cap secured thereto, the

pipe B provided with one or more sets of o teeth, d, and two or more lugs, e, all arranged 'and adapted to operate substantially as andl for the purposes described.

3. In combination with a cap provided with a downwardly-projecting annular ring, and

one or more lipsv or lugs projecting inwardly from the lower edge of said ring to engage with lips on the pipe to which it is to be secured, one or more notches or recesses, j j, cut into and through the upper corner of said cap, substantially as and for the purposes described.

Executed at Boston, Massachusetts, this 8th day of June, A. D. 1877.

GEO. l?. BOWERS. Witnesses:

N. C. LOMBARD, E. A. HEMMENWAY. 

